(5 ft 3 in) gauge line through the Clare Valley tourist area. In the event, the society remained in Peterborough. Ownership transferred In 1986, following a Parliamentary Select Committee report, the South Australian Parliament passed the Steamtown Peterborough (Vesting of Property) Act, which authorised the transfer of ownership of the society's rolling stock and other assets to the Corporation of Peterborough. Members encountered great difficulty in continuing operations, however, since by then the majority of active volunteers came from outside the district and those with the skills needed to enable operations were in short supply. Alternatives considered By 2002, insurance costs skyrocketed for most heritage railways, leading to several ceasing operations. The society stopped running its trains when its public liability cover expired in June of that year. By the time the insurance crisis had been mitigated the following year, the society was experiencing great difficulty attracting people to a management committee. In 2002, a steering committee comprising representatives of the Federation of North East Councils, the Northern Regional Development Board, the Flinders Ranges Area Consultative Committee and the society was established. A project followed to evaluate development of the workshops precinct as the Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre. Decision to disband At a special general meeting on 26 October 2003, 175 people supported a motion to dissolve the society and nine voted against. It was reported that during the previous two years, the society has suffered several upheavals and that the October 2001 annual general meeting had been declared invalid at a special general meeting in January 2002. Further, the October 2002 AGM had been unable to elect a secretary or treasurer; the president had resigned in 2003. In response to a request for help from the Steamtown committee, an administrative sub-committee formed under the Local Government Act, with representatives of the council, SA Government and the society, would "manage the troubled society's affairs". It had been expected that with the council managing Steamtown's assets through the sub-committee, the society would be free to concentrate on operating rail trips. However, those ambitions were unfulfilled on account of soaring public liability insurance premiums. Efforts were concentrated on developing the site as a static museum, which was reported at the meeting as "proving highly successful, and has increased Steamtown's cash flow". Future directions A year later, on 8 October 2004, the Peterborough District Council convened a public meeting to hear about and